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"Miraculous" Growth in Three Easy Steps

How to Grow
Many Christians say they want to grow in their spiritual life or get closer to God, but they don't know how or lack a plan. Growth in Christ can be as simple as following through with what we call the 2-3-2 plan. You will be amazed at how your spiritual life develops; it will seem almost miraculous!

Developing a Daily Habit
One of the goals of the 2-3-2 plan is to develop some healthy habits or spiritual disciplines you’ll practice daily. Most of us don’t like the word discipline, but just as brushing one’s teeth, taking a bath, exercise, and eating healthy food on a daily basis promotes physical health and growth, good daily spiritual disciplines promote a healthy relationship with God. Over time, you’ll find yourself building spiritual vibrancy, health and “muscle” which will enable you to rely more on the Lord, help you cope with life challenges and relate better to others. Looking back, you’ll see how you've grown and how you are better able to cope with life challenges because you were following God’s “owners manual” for life (the Bible), regularly seeking God’s help, and making better, wiser choices.

Growth Takes Time
Keep in mind that even though you may have received Jesus Christ as your Savior and now have a relationship with God, changing your thought patterns and learning to live consistently in this new way often takes a long time. One doesn’t just wake up one morning after years of inactivity and decide to compete in an Olympic marathon race that afternoon. That is why good, consistent, daily training and habits are needed. It takes time to replace a long history of bad habits with good ones. So be patient with yourself and others on the same journey.

The Quiet Time
One of the most important spiritual habits is a daily “quiet time” or “devotional” time.

Have you ever noticed two people in love? They just can't get enough time alone with each other! In the same way, God wants a love relationship with you. A daily quiet time is time you will schedule to meet with Him. Notice that we said schedule, because it is not going to happen by accident. You need to be very deliberate about this. To start, plan on setting aside 30 minutes every day for your devotional time. The amount of time is only a suggestion; don’t get fixated. Remember it is not a formula, but a relationship.

A Method to Consider:
Ask God when He would like you to meet with Him. Write down when you believe He would like you to have your appointment together. ___:___ to ____:____ AM/PM

2-3-2 What is That?2: Means worship God by listening to TWO Christian worship music songs and/or singing praise to God. Check out some of the member's profiles here on TheNET. Many have uploaded lots of good worship music. Worship is important because God loves it! Worship sets our hearts and minds in tune with God. Remember it is all about a love relationship with Him! Don't skip this step!

3: Means read THREE chapters (or more) of the Bible. Tell God you love Him and ask Him to help you understand, learn from, and speak to you from His Word, the Bible.

If you wish, use this Daily Bible Reading Plan (this will be at least three chapters). The Daily Bible Reading Plan is a PDF file you read, save and print using Adobe Reader. If you don’t have Adobe Reader, you can download it free. You may print the reading plan for quick reference.

You can read the Bible online or use a printed copy. For English users, we recommend the New International Version or the New Living Translation because generally they are easier to read and understand.

Print out the Bible Reading Highlights Record (also a PDF file). Try to answer one or more of the eight questions listed at the top of the page. (You can print additional pages as necessary and keep all your devotional insights in a notebook or folder). You may also want to write what God is teaching you every day in your blog. That way other believers can benefit from what you are learning!

2: Means talk with God, thanking him; and asking him TWO questions about what you read, asking for help for others and yourself or about anything else as you would your closest friend.

OK, so have you scheduled your quiet time with God yet? God is waiting to meet with you!

Thanks ladylite, for your words. You make me realise that as christians we go through different trials, but because we have God on our side, things turn out well in the end. You are right ALCEDES, our God is trully awesome. Sometimes He allows us to go through these experiences to make us grow in faith. He never leaves us on our own in spite of our sins. He understands our weaknesses.

I am glad to say, everything worked out fine for me in the end. I know now that God doesn't ever dessert anyone. He has been there all the while, its just that I was too engrossed in my self pity to realise His presence.

Ladylite and Lina ,we serve an awesome Heavenly Father ,who knows the end before our beginning ,we all just need to grow in the Grace and Knowledge of Looking from our SPIRITUAL EYES and not our NATURAL EYES ,LOVE YOU BOTH THROUGH THE LOVE OF JESUS OUR HIGH PRIEST AND BIG BROTHER

God says that He will never give you more than you can bear. You have to trust him, because this test of faith will last as long as He makes it. But lean in closer to Him, give it all to him and let go. Let his Grace show you a beautiful light at the end of the (crumbling) tunnel.

I waited several years for God to free me from my own crumbling world. He gave me strength to endure, and the strength to climb back up and be happy.

I was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer at 32.

The very next day I finally said, thats it...God...its' time to leave my abusive husband, stop smoking, eat better, and remove all the negative.

I went through the surgery alone, and right after doing a very difficult thing...separating myself and my 9 year old son from his father. I had to leave work for 4 mos.

I lost my car because it was either pay rent and eat or be on the street.

But the cancer made it all change for the better....It was the "GO" signal....

One year later...I am in a nice place, supporting my son and myself , and I have even allowed myself to love again... my son and I are healing and realizing what it feels like to feel "better."

We always pray for God's will in our lives. Sometimes, I doubt whether certain situations I'm faced with are God's will. I long to experience Him in my daily activities, but when I'm overwhelmed with work, I wonder whether He is really with me. His grace abides with me, that's the reason I'm still here today. I wish to feel His presence more in my life.

(17) To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. New International VersionChange Bible versions

Neither of the other two curses contains such a lengthy reason for God's pronouncement.

Why God does this probably lies in the fact that Adam was not deceived when he sinned (I Timothy 2:14). God saw the need to explain to him why he was being cursed so that Adam would not repeat the grievous error again. Events had deteriorated much too far already, and this preamble is an attempt to shore up the damage by pinpointing to Adam the cause of the problem.

God's reason for Adam's curse comes in two parts: 1) He obeyed Eve, and 2) he disobeyed God. He sinned by doing something he should not have done, as well as by not doing what he should have done! Like most sins, his was an act of commission and omission.

God first exposes Adam's abdication of his leadership role in the marriage. Though Ephesians 5:21 says to "[submit] to one another in the fear of God," Adam yielded to his wife in an area he knew God had specifically commanded them to do otherwise. He should have led, not followed.

Genesis 3 provides no explanation for why Adam followed her lead; verse 6 tersely says, "She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate." It suggests he weakly acquiesced to do her bidding with a "whatever you say, dear" attitude. He chose to appease her rather than correct her.

Then God reminds him that he had directly disobeyed His very clear command: "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die" (Genesis 2:16-17). God's words inGenesis 3:17 cut straight to the heart of the matter. However Adam had justified to himself that he could eat the forbidden fruit, he had still committed sin in God's eyes.

As the wording suggests, the two reasons go together; it is an Old Testament pre-statement of Peter's words to the Sanhedrin in Acts 5:29:"We ought to obey God rather than men." God's commands take precedence over any words, acts, or persuasions to the contrary—even if they are delivered by a beautiful, naked woman offering to feed us fruit!

LINA WE MUST HOLD FAST TO THE WORDS OF GOD AND LET HIM CARRY US THROUGH THE STOMS AND HE WILL ,THAT I'M A LIVING WITNESS DON'T SIT MY DEAR PRAY AND DO WHATEVER THE HOLY SPIRIT GUIDE YOU TO DO AND LOOK TO OUR HEAVENLY FATHER EACH DAY TO TAKE YOU OUT OF WHATEVER IT IS THAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH

Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV). ...present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus....... Thoughts on This Verse... What guards your heart? What protects your mind? Did you know that the peace of God can stand guard over our hearts and minds? That's the apostle Paul's promise to us in this passage. If we will present our requests to God, with thanksgiving, then God's peace that is greater than any explanation and that transcends our ability to comprehend it, will stand sentry over our hearts and minds. You want an example of how this is true? Look at the book of Job: All that befalls him; all that wounds him. Yet still he doesn't become hard of heart or go insane. What is the key to his survival? His ongoing conversation with the LORD. He will not relinquish that relationship no matter how badly he hurts, how much he is confused, nor how badly he is ridiculed.